Gala Film Fest Premiere Tixs Available (Tenn)

Among a number of African American films being screened is “Blind Tom: The Last Legal Slave in America” which is a true story of a slave born in 1849. He captivated audiences around the world – including a command performance at the White House – with his “dazzling skills at the piano,” but he remained a slave until 1908.

Another African American family-friendly film -- “The Life Project” -- spreads the message “each one can teach one.” Noting that everyone “must be willing to learn from the people we encounter, regardless of what package they come in,” the film asserts that “color, gender, age, or social economic status should never be an issue” when we’re “blessed with the opportunity to learn and listen to someone’s life or story.”

The documentary “Drama Mamas!” highlights the work of black women theater directors. It’s been featured in the Reel Sisters Film Festival at Long Island University and the National Black Theater Festival in Winston-Salem, N.C., and was presented the Storyteller Award at the 1st Urban Theater & Entertainment Awards at Florida Memorial University.

Yet another film in the same genre is “Cooking the Books: A Recipe for Murder!” a “hilarious musical mystery” concerning Harold Johnson and Associates – indicted “by the Feds” for stock fraud and embezzlement – who would rather “murder than go to jail!” The creator of the Hip Hop Musical Mysteries series is to attend the Opening Gala.